Turning Right

Point your kids in the
right direction—
when they’re old
they won’t be lost.

Proverbs 22:6 (The Message)

There are no guarantees when raising children. You don’t need to be a parent to comprehend this truth, because you are someone’s child. Musing over the past we wonder, “How did I manage to get from there to here?” If it’s your turn to be a parent the slippery nature of parenting has probably found you frequently on your back, wondering what you slid on.

The kicker is that the relationship never ends! It’s a job from which you can’t resign and most likely don’t want to relinquish. At some point, however, a shifting of the paradigm takes place and you find yourself looking into the face of a person who looks vaguely like your child. All the time you spent pointing in the right direction will now be put to the test.

Will this child, who you feel in your marrow, be able to find their way?

Proverbs is a great book with bits of hard and comforting truths. However, even here there aren’t guarantees. Everyday I have asked God to protect my child from my numerous parental mistakes. But, when a child is no longer a child and with saucer eyes is looking at the world, a parent has to trust that their directions were clear.

Ultimately, that child who you nurtured, loved, spoiled and who was claimed as your own isn’t your possession. She was knitted by God, created for His joy and sustained for His purposes. As parent you only pointed towards the goal. From this point forward the child must choose, on their own, which direction they will take. It’s the risky part of parenting—will they go in the right direction.

Father, thank you for
creating, knowing and loving
me, your child.
Help me to feel Your touch,
hear Your voice and move
in the direction of Your choosing.
Amen.

Dedicated to my dear Alexa who is leaving the "coop" and flying towards her first year of college!